Ashes of Czech war hero to be buried at Brookwood Cemetery

On Sunday May 6 the ashes of the esteemed Czech war hero Major-General
Miloslav Kaspar will be laid to rest at Brookwood Cemetery in Surrey.

The Czechoslovakian War Memorial and graves in the Brookwood Military Cemetery, Woking

By Martin Spurr

9:51AM BST 04 May 2012

Major-General Kaspar, who died aged 95 in December 2009, served as an intelligence officer during the Cold War for MI5 after fleeing to Britain during the 1948 Czechoslovakian coup in which the communists seized power.

Every year around 50 people gather at the Cemetery to remember Czech and Slovakian servicemen who are buried there. But this year a larger crowd is expected; the Cardinal of Prague and ambassadors from the Czech Republic Embassy in London will be present to pay their respects to Major-General Kaspar.

Vic Andel, who came to Britain from Czechoslovakia in 1952 following violence and unrest says: ''It will be a special one this year.”

Mr Andel, 78, has been going to Brookwood Cemetery twice a year since the early Nineties and says it is not just a matter of remembering the sacrifice of his compatriots, but a way of celebrating their life: “It is a thanksgiving for the boys who are no longer with us,” he says. “I always bring some flowers. There are some of my friends there, some of whom I had known for the last 50 years.”

Brookwood Cemetery is the largest commonwealth war cemetery in the UK and one of the largest in western Europe. There is an RAF section where the graves of US and Czech servicemen from World War II are buried, in addition to French, Polish, Belgian, and Italian plots.

Mr Andel believes that the service and sacrifice of Britain's allies is not forgotten by people today.

“They are always mentioned in documentaries and newspapers. They are definitely remembered.”

Yet, showing his respects to his country men was not something Mr Andel himself has always felt free to do. It has only been since the break up of the Soviet Union, when the fear of being seen by a “communist” from the Czech Embassy subsided, that Mr Andel was able to visit the Cemetery.

“It’s important to do this because it is showing thanks for everything the boys have done,” Mr Andel says. “Most of them were youngsters when they were in the RAF and Czech air force. A couple of them are my personal friends who are buried there.”

Turnout at the Cemetery has been falling from around 150 a few years ago to about 50 today as friends and compatriots “fade away”.

“It is sad. But what can you do? I think it will carry on until the last people fade away. But even then I think it will still carry on because there are children of those men and women. General Kaspar’s daughters and sons will be there on Sunday. The tradition will be carried on for a considerable time yet."

The gathering will take place on Sunday May 6 at 3pm at Brookwood Cemetery, Woking, Surrey GU24 0BL.